Archive for the 'Live Performance' Category

NOZZA Fest

Published by Trini on January 18, 2010 in Acoustic, Folk, Indie, Live Performance and Singer Songwriter. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Where: Art Theater of Long Beach
Who: Tadhg Cooke, Jay Buchanan, Shane Alexander and The Guggenheim Grotto
When: Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 8:00 pm

Fingerprints mailer:
“Our friend Trini, who first introduced us to the boys in Guggenheim Grotto, is stepping up to the “Make a beautiful racket – Long Beach” initiative (which I just invented, but in my mind it’s an umbrella of everyone who’s working to bring more music to our humble, but quiet, little town.) Anyway, Trini is hosting Nozzafest at the Art and it’s a night of fantastic music, great community, and well, it’s going to be a good party. The bands are Tadhg Cooke, Jay Buchanan, Shane Alexander, and The Guggenheim Grotto.

A bit about the bands:

Tadhg Cooke
The Irish Times said, “Tadhg Cooke’s solo debut crisscrosses so many terrains that your musical compass may quiver with the sheer magnetic challenge of Wax & Seal” and, giving it 4 stars, described the record as “eminently likeable, utterly enviable”.

Jay Buchanan
Jay is a local, who’s done a lot with SAM, and whose new album is an absolute killer (it’s not out yet, so you’ll have to trust me, but it’s great); think of the tempestuousness of Jeff Buckley, combined with the reflection of Ray Lamontagne, and the bare-boned soul of Marc Broussard and you’re in the right neighborhood.

Shane Alexander
Shane is an LA based songwriter who says he “strive(s) to have my music to connect on a spiritual level the way classic writers like Neil Young, Paul Simon, and Bruce Springsteen do. I don’t know I’ll get there, but I’m definitely getting closer.”

Guggenheim Grotto
The Guggenheim Grotto have twice filled the house at Fingerprints with their wonderful take on pop music with a folkish flair, so it’s no wonder that we’ve kept an eye on them, and over the past couple of years their star seems to have been on the rise. They’ve had songs feature prominently on KCRW and WXPN, they’ve had their songs play on the TV shows Brothers and Sisters and One Tree Hill, and StereoSubversion said “…if you are a fan of great harmonies, melodic arrangements, and intelligent folk rock sound then this album belongs in your collection”

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Hope to see some new faces!

 

Ohbijou on Third Floor Sessions!

Published by smansmith on December 19, 2009 in Folk, Free Download, Indie, Live Performance and On Youtube. 1 Comment

Ohbijou - photo courtesy of Holly Thomas

photo courtesy of Holly Thomas – see the full set

So Third Floor Sessions have done it again…a great live performance caught on video (and mp3) from Canadian indie icons Ohbijou!

There is something about Ohbijou, they are just a dreamy pop sound that is thick with lush melodies.  They create moments instead of songs…I can very much see them sound-tracking moments in time.  That perfect moment in time (or not so perfect moment) where through your mind’s eye it has sound.  It is the kind of music that can create something deep within you while listening.  The same way (for me) Sigur Rós create such deep emotion with music – the sounds can be epic, heart-warming and tragically beautiful.

Enjoy a couple of the tracks and a video: get the full 8 tracks over at Third Floor Sessions HERE.

“New Years” (mp3)
“Steep” (mp3)
Taken from Third Floor Sessions (Dec. 5th, 2009)

Ohbijou Third Floor Session

~Smansmith

 

Song o’ The Day – Kay Pettigrew’s “Adventures In The Rocky Mountains”

Published by smansmith on December 6, 2009 in Folk, Indie, Live Performance, Singer Songwriter, Song o Day and blues. 2 Comments

Kay Pettigrew - photo by Frances Beatty

Song o the day today is selected for two reasons (well three really) and comes from the lovely Kay Pettigrew.

The reasons go something like this: I listened to the Ohbijou live session yesterday via Third Floor Sessions (which was great by the way) and while there I took a look around, as I tend to, and noticed that Kay Pettigrew was the inaugural episode! I did a quick post with a cover Kay did for the theme song of Fresh Prince of Bel Air over on Slowcoustic (click to listen) a while back so I started thinking. The song generated a fair amount of airplay for Kay around the blogosphere and ended up being on the Hype Machine popular charts via myself and a couple other bloggers. So that is a reason isn’t it?

Another reason is I felt I needed to post again as I wanted to make sure that people see her for more than just that cover track. Her Third Floor Session is full of folkish sing-a-longs, bluesy riffs and gritty Canadiana alongside an incredibly mature sound for this young Torontonian. So this is a reason as well isn’t it?

The last reason is simply because I am located in Calgary which is at the base of the Rocky Mountains and this weekend started our “adventure” into winter (see here for a twitted photo from this weekend in Calgary). So this is definitely a reason isn’t it?

Well if none of the above are not enough of a reason, then I don’t know what else is. You can download the entire session from her live session HERE…maybe that is the reason??

“Adventures In The Rocky Mountains” – Kay Pettigrew

Visit and purchase some Kay Pettigrew:


~~~

~Smansmith

 

Brown and Blue – New Colby Stead Project

Published by smansmith on August 3, 2009 in Folk, Live Performance, Singer Songwriter and video. 1 Comment


Introduced to me from fellow blogger Olivier and then reminded by Trini, Colby Stead has a new recording project that is in its preliminary stages, but promises to grow beautifully.  If the below description on the website says anything, it is the overall essence of what they are creating:

Brown & Blue, earth and sky. Different, but a duo nonetheless.

One, floating above, colliding with clouds, trying not to fall. The other holding still, deeply rooted, reaching high.

A combination of color, a mixture of moods, meet harmoniously in the middle. A sunset, a storm. Fleeting:

The music of Brown & Blue.

Visit them at Brown and Blue (.org) for a more music and video performances, bio and soon to be tour info.

**Bonus – Colby Stead – “Left Alone” (mp3) – courtesy of ColbyStead.com – donate, download, listen.**

~Smansmith

 

Ray LaMontagne {Hollywood Bowl}

Published by Trini on July 14, 2009 in Concert Review, Folk, Live Performance and On Youtube. 2 Comments Tags: , .

If you’ve read our about section you know that this site was started by a few crazy dreamers that have a great love and admiration for all things Ray LaMontagne.

I’ve been following his music for several years now, through unreleased albums, three major album releases, intimate venues, times when Larry, CT and Ray were all you needed on stage, memorable conversations to now this … an experience like none other. I can’t tell you the countless times I’ve seen Ray live, but by far this was a magical experience. His voice was the best I’ve heard in a long time and the orchestra was simply beautiful. I swear he reads my journal because he sings about my life.

I made a comment that Ray had arrived in Hollywood, no joke. I spotted nearby Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, sat a few row up from Ron Livingston, Evangeline Lily and Reese Witherspoon walked right by me while I was having a smoke (don’t judge I’m trying to quite) oh and a few of the AI kids. Needless to say it was a night that brought out all the stars. How humbling that must be for a man that only ever wanted to sing a song. I will always consider myself lucky to have met him.

I still to this day will never understand the concept of people talking during a performance. Even as perfect as this night was there is always some idiot sitting in front, behind, or next to you that is clueless the magnitude of some performances. Stay home if you want to talk.

Growing up playing the cello I have a soft spot in my heart for an orchestra so having both my loves in one place, well it was more than I could handle. I didn’t have my camera with me that night, sorta wanted to hold it all in memory but I did find these two youtube videos, the sound is great but man it was just one of those night you had to experience being there. Words just can justify the feeling that man gives you when he sings.

I’ll leave you with a little cover of “Something is Wrong With My Baby” for download.

 

Matt Jones – The Black Path

Published by Olivier on April 6, 2009 in Acoustic, Alternative, Experimental / Psychedelic, Folk, Live Performance, Rock, Singer Songwriter and Soul. 1 Comment Tags: , .

“I just want this record to do well,” he says without irony, sipping coffee near the still-not-open venue. “I want to pay that money back. I also want to do something bigger than Ann Arbor or Ypsi. … I get crowded into the Michigan indie folk scene a lot,” he continues, and then he finishes the thought as if he scorched his tongue on the hot liquid, “I love it, but …”

That’s how ended this cinematographic review of Matt Jone’s first full length The Black Path from Brian Smith, editor on the Metro Times ( read the ful review here).

I know you lazzy-click so the link will be paste later down this short modest and encore review. Another article about the black path ? Yes, for sure, this Matt Jones is rich enough to gifted us million dollars spreading his music all day long on this blog.
How really rich is this mattjonespainting ?  Rich enough to blow you away from start to end in this 45 minutes session : from the battling Threadlines intro to the perfect soft-sorrrowful Nothing Joyful closing tune ; an abundant set of unique blend of poetries, paintings, crossing borders, fronting and facing cliches.. to you to pick and choose its resilience, and few chances you won’t be untouched from his art at a very first note.
Isn’t it richness : Painting stories over melodies, serving floating spaces in both timeline and mapline to the completion of our unfulfilled, unsatiable minds. What an achievement is this eleven songs collection : it’s still blowing me away… The fact that expression could merge so many facets from an artist in a perfect oeuvre  ; joining and translating all those forces : qualities and weaks. Rich once again, you are Mr Jones !

Artist : Matt Jones
Label : none
Where to buy  ? Backstage, on any digital music reseller (amazon.com / emusic.com)
More Appetizers : Metro Time Review – Previous YCD Review by Sandy – myspace
Some more words : And rich we are we’ve met you, and give handfull of thanks to Mr Jim Roll !

 

Camera Music Captures Jon-Rae Fletcher

Published by smansmith on April 1, 2009 in Acoustic, Alt-Country, Country, Folk, Gospel, Live Performance and video. 0 Comments

If you are a fan of indie-Canadiana, you will have to bookmark “Camera Music” on AUX TV as they capture some of the best musicians in the wild.  The series is recorded by Scott Cudmore and follows various talents around city streets, parking lots, farm fields and wintery back alleys.  You  may get a bit more “real world” than you would on an official video for any of the tracks, but that is the charm, you get “should I stand here?” or “How does that look?” – there is a taste of the real world before the feature presentation.  Of the artists featured so far, you have Tony Dekker (Great Lake Swimmers), Brian Borcherdt, Timber Timbre, Bruce Peninsula to mention a few. Head over HERE to check them out.

So I posted on Jon-Rae Fletchers’ “Oh, Maria” and I still stand by that this album as one of the most rich and lush releases in the last while.  The album is modern Country/Americana mixed with Singer-Songwriter Gospel and worth an extra listen at all times.  You can check out the post with a few tracks HERE.  For now, see what I mean for the newest installment of “Camera Music” and one of the tracks “The Sound” from his 2009 release.  You might have to wait a full minute until the music actually starts, but its worth it!

~Smansmith

 

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